2011 REUNION

Our Reunion went off much better than expected and was a resounding success. Everyone was happy and didnt want to leave. Friday night was Meet and Greet and everyone got up and spoke about their experiences at Carron Hall and how it has molded their lives one way or the other. As everyone spoke we were all straining our ears to hear what each other had to say. Of course as with everything one person had everything negative to say. She ripped into Carron Hall like hurricane Gilbert, stating that Carron Hall did nothing for her and she hated CH and how the teachers had us working as slaves. Our most senior graduate spoke after her and Ena's speach was sooo loooonnng that by the time she was done we had forgoten about all the negative comments.

Besides that one incident everything else went well. We were never closer as Caronalites. We had graduates from 1954 to 1993. Below is our most senior graduate Ena Watson

who graduated in 1954 (seen above here). We ate, laughed, hugged, cried, prayed and sang together. We were all one on this weekend. There were no first or second years and age didn't matter. We all got along and we were all one batch who came to Florida to meet, revel, jump and enjoy each other and we did more than I can say.

Saturday was our Banquet and it started at six PM with three course Dinner. During Dinner Gloria Shakespear's son Jeffery, showed a slide show of old photos from Carron Hall which was previously put together by Pauline Lewinson's Hubby. After dinner our program started. I welcomed everyone and we sang 'Dis Long Time Gal Me Neva See Yu Come Meck Me Hole Yu Han' We danced, hugged, shook hands and by the time it was over, some from the back was at the front and vice versa. We didnt want to stop hugging, jigging and dancing and we all tried to hug as many peope as possible. It was lovely and it had me crying and hiding my tears from others. It was sooo beautiful and I felt sooo good to see everyone coming together like that after all the planning and to think that I had a hand in that. Madam chairperson (Elaine Davis) had to call out saying, we have to continue with the program.

Eaine Davis from the 1979 batch who contacted me to offer her help and took time out of her busy schedule to meet with my hotel contact a few weeks ago. She also offered her services as MC and though I was initially skeptical about it :) I followed my nose and let her do it. She was the one for this job as everyone could see. She had a sharp tongue, witty, funny, eloquent when necessary and she timed everything to a T for the right effect. She had people going under THE CLOCK all night, holding one ear and one foot for different reasons that had us all cracking up. It was an experience and you had to have been there to understand.

Under the clock above are, from left to right: Prim Simon, Joycelyn Henry, Esther Sandison, Bernice Davis, Pauline Gunther Powell, Patricia Daley Medder, and Veronica Mills Burrell. They were seen by Elaine after hours at the bar on Friday night. She asked all of them for their names and wrote it down but they had no idea why but she had a plan. (Laugh) So during the program she called out their names and told them why they were being put under the clock.

More people who got punishment under the clock Saturday night. From left to right Iona Drummond, Maxine Lungren, Veronica Mills, Vernessa Bernard, Stacia Robinson and Andrene Taylorwelch. You can see Iona and Maxine was not taking it very well, they were mad as hell and grumbling like when they were at CH (jokingly) especially Maxine who got put under the clock twice in one evening. I heard words like";me no do nutten me no know whe she a put me unda de clock fa" I must mention that Maxine also did a wonderful job acting the role of Lorna Huie in the Skit, taking a part in 'Evening Time with Gloria and others. Thanks Maxine I owe you one. Big discount for you next time.

We also had our first man under the clock, Royston Lewinston(see above) He got put under the Clock because Elaine heard that when Pauline was at Carron Hall he visited her and sat in the common room. LOL. What? Mrs Saunders and Pinnock must be turning in their graves to hear this. A man coming to look for a girl at CH? that is unheard of in my time (1970). I guess mr Robinson was much more lax, even though some might say otherwise. He went proudly all the time laughing and looking at his beautiful wife Pauline. I say a man never looked so good under the clock.

We also had a skit depicting a story told by one graduate about another student who always have lotsa food in her dorm. One day a teacher discovered her stach and brought it up to devotion in a box, mmm. After finding out whose box it was, no need to ask if Mrs Robinson didn't rip into her. She ordered her to take the box to he Pantry and she wouldn't. She stated that they are going to eat out her food. She did nothing but stomped all over the box with the foodstuff, WHAT?. Of course she got sent under the CLOCK and was also sent home for some time I heard.

I would be amiss if I didn't mention Hazel Duncan's Poem about Carron Hall. (You can view her live on Youtube from a link on the home page. She made and recited it for us at the meet and greet and again on Sat night. We loved it both times and still wanted more.

Thanks to Carol Williams a past teacher at CH who read the Message from the current Principl Miss Dawes, to Pearleen Bryan who read the message from the Minister of Fishries and Agriculture and the current MP for Carron Hall area. Thanks also to the Mayor of Lauderhill Lakes who gave us a nice and short speach and to Gloria Shakespear did the School's history. (You should be able to see it soon on this site).

No man is an island, no man stands alone so were it not for some special people, some even on location in Florida, things wouldn't have been the same. I really want to thank Desmie Rowe for suggesting and making the initial contact with Mayor Russell. He was only notified of the event on Tuesday and said yes on Thursday after cancelling two other events. He expressed to me that he would not miss it for the world because Carron Hall is very close to his heart. I really didnt understand until he told me that he was from Guys Hill and his wife's sister went to Carron Hall. He helped to make our reunion very special and we thank him.

To Elaine Davis without whom, the reunion would not be the same. She choose and did the decoration for the banquet, being our MC and sooo much more.

Elaine & I.

Gloria and the 'Gloria Shakespear Singers' performing Evening Time.

Gloria Shakespear for support, suggestions and all she did, for your Ackee and Cod Fish, Ginger Beer and participating in the program and doing the Carron Hall History. Gloria's speach was soo long we had to cut it with a knife hehehehe :) but it was very informative about how long Carron Hall existed and how it came about.

Inez Myers, her daughter and Kinkos for making the the programs, being a positive support helping with the planning and for lending her ear all the time and her support over the period. Inez I now consider you my good friend.

Our wonderful Iona Drummond Grant- What can I say? She brought food for us Sat night and again there was another feast in my suite of rice and peas, jerk chicken, another chicken and bread. those in Ft. lauderdale please support Iona's restaurant.

Pauline Walker Lewinson for lending her ear whenever I called and offerred herself as Speaker MC then Speaker. She did such a good job as speaker and left us wanting more.

Thanks to the 1977 batch who came out in large numbers and helped to make our reunion such a success. I will try to name some of you guys: Pauline Walker, Mavis Perry, Maudline Williams, Sonia Anderson, Neressa White, Pat Medder, Pauline Gunther Powell, Joycelyn Henry,

Winsone White for helping with everything on location in our suite at the reunion. We called our suite Reunion Central as round the clock we were visited by most of the reunion attendees who were looking for food. I took three large rum cakes with me causing my suitecase to be overweight. I had to open it up at Kennedy Airport transfer the cakes to the carry on luggage . We went to Wllmart to buy water, fruit and food stuff to serve and entertain our guests as they drop by our Suite to eat food everyday. Laauuuughhhhh. It was such fun for me. Ony thing I didnt like was people not cleaning up their garbage, leaving plates and cups where they ate. it wont happen next time because i will name someone Garbage police.

Some of us in the dining section at breakfast. We had a lot of fun during breakfast time in the mornings. We used this down time to do photo ops, chat and everything else.

Part of the crowd at the Saturday night banquet.

She has Betty Davis Eyes? what do you think? Noooo it's Joycelyn Henry's' eyes and how lovely they are. She should be in commercials. You see a person and you never know what their eyes look like until they try to take a picture and turn the camera the wrong way. Hahahah. All part of the fun.